Murder suspect wanted north arrested in Limassol

A man from Pakistan wanted for murder in the north has been arrested in Limassol, following information that he had crossed into the south.

(Click here for an update to the story)

Police in Limassol apprehended the male suspect, 23-year-old Muhammad Salman, after his photograph was released by Turkish Cypriot media earlier this week with some reports raising the possibility he might have fled south.

Salman was wanted for the brutal murder of 53-year-old artist Hasan Isik Ozgocmen, who was beaten and strangled to death in late September in a forested area in Trikomo/Iskele. Turkish Cypriot investigators said camera footage showed the suspect was with Ozgocmen on the day of the murder.

It turned out that the information about Salman’s possible whereabouts in the south had also been shared through the bicommunal committee on crime through the United Nations, after a friend of the suspect told authorities that Salman had said he wanted to go to Limassol.

RoC police also investigating murder charges

Officers in the Republic of Cyprus arrested Salman on Thursday on charges of illegal entry and illegal stay, while they are also investigating murder charges against him after he reportedly confessed to the murder at the time of his arrest.

Police told Knews the murder charges were relayed through the bicommunal crime committee. But Turkish Cypriot authorities were reportedly requesting through the UN that Salman be handed over to face murder charges in the north.

A second individual in Limassol, a 20-year-old male from Pakistan, was later detained for aiding and abetting with possible charges of acting as an accessory to a crime. The two men appeared before a Limassol District Court judge on Friday, where Salman was remanded for eight days.

In the past, no formal murder investigations were ever carried out by CID Limassol for crimes committed in the north.